Abnormality
by Kirii
Summary: Leo Spitz knew his life had been changed and, unlike his roommate, he didn't think he wanted it to be normal again. The question becomes, what to do now? Eventual Simmons/Leo, with some Sideswipe/Jolt.
1. Chapter I

**Title: **Abnormality**  
Rating: **PG-13**  
Pairing(s): **Mainly, Simmons/Leo, with a side of Sideswipe/Jolt and a dash of Sam/Mikaela**  
Warnings: **Slash. One original character. Slight attempts at humor. Author's first attempt to write a story focusing on humans in, like, three and a half years.**  
Author's Note:** Aha. So my first attempt at a Simmons/Leo fic, with an attempt at an original character that I hope will not turn into the dreaded Mary-Sue by the end of the fic. This is the first Transformers fic that I've written that actually complies with _Revenge of the Fallen_ canon. Remember to keep your hands in the cart at all times, kids.**  
Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, save for the OC. Hasbro continues to thwart my attempts at owning anything remotely resembling a copyright on these guys.

**-Chapter One-**

It was over. The Fallen was defeated, Megatron and his surviving Decepticons had long since retreated and Earth was safe for the time being. Optimus Prime was once again alive and leading his Autobots towards a better future. Sam Witwicky was alive and reunited with his parents and hot girlfriend. Leo Spitz was left standing in the ruins of an Egyptian village, away from the victory celebration with Twit One and Twit Two badgering him as they'd taken a liking to since their meeting.

It was all over. Leo stared at the horizon, unsure of what to think or even do now that it was over. He settled for falling to his knees and silently thanking whatever god was out there that he was alive. He had been through hell the last couple of days; a lot of cannon-toting alien-robot, metal, sand, heat and blood hell. His world had been thrown into a blender, puréed and poured down the kitchen sink. Two days ago, maybe three, he'd been the normal kind of guy. Well, as normal as a guy who believed in aliens, government conspiracies and hot, playboy bunnies could get.

Now he stood in the aftermath of an alien war, watching as his roommate held tight to his girlfriend while his robot buddies hung over him protectively. They were thousands of miles away from the university they'd only attended for a day. Everyone was covered in dirt, scrapes, cuts and burns, but they were alive. The pyramids of Giza, once a great wonder of the world, lay in ruins, destroyed by the biggest, freakiest-looking robot Leo had ever dared to imagine. Metal and flesh bodies were scattered over the remains of the village.

Leo still could only barely comprehend what all had happened. Life for him would never be normal again. As he sat in the sand, heart still pounding from the all-out battle, he realized that he could never go back to being the guy he'd been. He'd seen too much, experienced too much. The real effing deal was right here, in front of him, not on some website he'd slapped together with a couple of his geek friends. His biggest rival, Robo-Warrior, had been by his side, showing him that the real effing deal was actually giant effing robots.

All of this, in only a couple of days.

What was he going to do now? The battle was done with, for now. Sam and Mikaela would go back to however they'd spent their lives. Ron and Judy would probably go home and never leave the house again. The Autobots and the army guys would go back to doing their jobs. Simmons had his deli and his Sector Seven stuff in his basement. And Leo? What did he have?

"You gonna sit there all day, kid?"

Leo looked up to see Simmons standing by him. The older man was covered in dust from his climb up the pyramid, the leather jacket he'd snagged from the Air and Space Museum hanging over his arm as he looked down at Leo. He was looking proud of himself, smug almost, for having survived. Leo looked away from him and stood up. He dusted himself off and adjusted his shirt, trying to act as nonchalant as Simmons was. He didn't find it easy, being still jumpy after the fight.

"S-So, what now?" he asked, stuttering slightly in an attempt to keep his voice even.

"Your little pal over there's talking about going back to school, trying again," Simmons replied. "The NEST guys have a plane ready to take all of us stateside as soon as everyone's ready. The government's gonna have a helluva time covering this up."

"You think they'll manage to cover all of this up?" Leo stared at Simmons. "Man, the whole world saw that Fallen guy's message! No one's going to buy any cover story!"

"Kid, the government's been covering up aliens since before you were born. They'll find a way to cover it up. It's our job to bring the truth to light, like we've been doing."

"So, you're going back to GFR?" Leo asked.

Simmons gave a snort. "If I don't, I have a security specialist that'll be after my blood when she finds out she's out of a job." He reached up and idly scratched the back of his head, giving a groan. "Oh, Shorty's going to throttle me for leaving all the work to her."

"You're telling me that the top expert on aliens and the biggest pain in my ass needs a security specialist to keep his website ahead of 'amateurs' like me?" Leo gave a snide grin.

"Hey, I'm the guru, she's the bodyguard. I could handle it myself, but you know, I gotta work the deli and sleep. You've got your cronies, I've got mine."

"Betcha my guys got footage up on RFD before your little bodyguard got it up on GFR," Leo challenged.

Simmons grinned and slapped a hand down on Leo's shoulder, causing the younger man to flinch and glare at him. "Kid, Kelley's probably kicked your guys' asses from here to Cybertron. Now, come on. We're heading stateside."

Leo muttered under his breath and followed the older man as Simmons headed towards the group. One of the soldiers, Lennox, had called for the plane and was directing it to their coordinates for pick up. The NEST medics were patching up Sam and the others, while the Autobot medics were tending to their own soldiers. Leo could see the little blue Autobot (he vaguely recalled hearing the name Jolt) treating Sideswipe's damage almost tenderly and he gave a shiver, feeling slightly awkward at the sort of thoughts _that_ put in his mind.

As everyone boarded the plane, with the humans accompanied by the ever loyal Bumblebee and the other Autobots rolling onto a second plane, Leo found himself seated next to Simmons. It seemed to him that this whole ordeal had forced him to spend time with his hated rival. Well, less-hated rival; they'd been through too much together for Leo to say that he still hated "Robo-Warrior" now. This didn't mean, however, that he liked the guy. They were still rivals, after all.

"Looking forward to the normal life?" Simmons asked as the plane took off.

"I wouldn't call my life normal," Leo muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and slouching in his seat. He let his eyes slip shut. He was exhausted and sleep sounded like, well, a dream. "There's an alien robot five feet away from my body."

"Eh. You'll get used to it. Been working around alien robots for most of my life."

Leo opened one eye to look at Simmons, then closed it again, wanting desperately to get some well-deserved rest. "And now you're working around dead pigs."

"Shut up and get some shut-eye, kid."

"Trying."

* * *

Leo had no idea how long the flight from Egypt to the states had been; he'd been out like a light for most of it, with dreams, thankfully, leaving him be. He was awoken with a start when a strong hand shook him and he found himself with his cheek pressed against Simmons' shoulder. He promptly sat up straight and shook his head to get rid of the lingering desire to sleep. Sam, Mikaela, Ron and Judy were already leaving the plane with the NEST operatives to head for the bunkers at the military base they'd landed at. Outside, the sky was dark and the moon was peeking through overcast clouds. Simmons stood as soon as Leo was no longer leaning on him.

"Let's go, Spitz," the older man said. "We're staying overnight."

Leo blinked. "What? Overnight here? Why?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Simmons told him as he led the younger man off the plane. "If you'd stayed awake even two minutes longer before you conked out, you'd have heard."

Leo rolled his eyes. If he recalled, Simmons had been the one to tell him to get some shut-eye. He opened his mouth, ready to retort, but he was still fuzzy-brained from his self-induced coma. Closing his mouth again, he followed the others into the bunkers. Figuring he'd get nothing out of Simmons, as the older man headed straight for a bunk, he went over to Sam, who was wide awake.

"Dude, I was out all flight," he told his roommate. "Why are we staying here?"

Sam gave a shrug. "Jetlag," he replied. "And maybe the fact that we probably don't want to show up at school like this." The brunet gestured to his torn and tattered shirt, heavy bruises and dirty face. "We can use the showers here and grab some new clothes before we head back to Philly."

Leo gave a silent 'oh', nodding his head in understanding. Behind him, he could hear snores, telling him that Simmons had already fallen asleep. He shook his head and ignored the older man for the time being, turning back to Sam.

"How can you just go back to school like things are normal, man?" he asked.

Sam heaved a sigh and sat on the bottom bunk behind him. "I've had to deal with this a lot longer than you have, Leo. It doesn't get easier from here, but I at least want to stand a chance of being like everyone else. Y'know, go to school, get a job, live my life like I'm not going to be snatched up by evil aliens the next time I turn around."

He looked up at Leo. "Come on. I bet you wish you hadn't been dragged into this."

"Dude, the last few days have been one nightmare after another," Leo admitted, taking a seat on the bunk across from Sam. "What I wouldn't give for a pizza and a hot girl right now. After what's happened, normal sounds good."

"So you understand why I want to be normal?"

"Sure, I can understand it, but…" Leo trailed off.

Sam gave a nod. "You've put a lot of work into your conspiracies website and you can't help but want to be involved now?"

"Exactly, mi amigo," Leo sighed, flopping back on the bed. He was quiet for a moment, staring up at the bunk above him. "You lied, didn't you? You were there, when the robots trashed L.A."

Sam laughed, wincing slightly as pain from his still-swollen cheek shot through him. "Nothing escapes you."

"You'd better believe it, bro."

The two young men quieted for a while, both thinking about what the future held for them and everyone there with them. After a while, lights were turned off and the sounds of sleep filled the room. In the morning, they'd clean up and head back to their lives, normal or otherwise.

_**

* * *

Author's Note: **__So, there's the first chapter. Updates on this, like everything else I write, will probably be sporadic at best, but I promise you, I do have plans for this fic. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I appreciate any constructive criticism you may have. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter II

_**Author's Note: **__Just as a note, because I was unclear about what age I write Leo as, he's eighteen. Most colleges and universities have a minimum age of eighteen, so that's what I'm working with. So once Leo and Simmons develop a relationship, I can assure you, Leo's a legal and consenting adult. Just wanted to clear that up.  
__Also, Jolt's personality in this story is sort of a mix between his 'canon' profile from the toy bios and the personality that a friend of mine has given him in an RP we're doing.  
__**Warnings: **__This chapter brings in my OC. I'm trying to make her a decent character, so cut me some slack.  
__**Disclaimer: **__Any recognizable character belongs to Hasbro/Paramount/Michael Bay. The OC is mine and you can't have her. _

**-Chapter Two-**

When morning came, it was a rush of showers, clean clothes and the demand for some breakfast. Sam, Mikaela, and Leo honestly couldn't remember the last time they'd gotten a break long enough to eat. It had to have been the day they escaped from the university, at least, since they'd managed to get food. Leo had woken up with a stomach that was minutes away from eating itself, so he was glad for even the military rations that were available in the base's mess hall.

After everyone was fed, washed and clothed, the group split up. Sam, Mikaela, Ron and Judy would be heading straight to Philadelphia, so Sam could get back to school. Mikaela was refusing to leave Sam's side, still shaken from nearly losing him during the fight in the desert. Of course, Sam's parents were determined to make sure that their boy stayed safe until they got back to the university. They'd stay the night in a hotel in Philadelphia while they made arrangements for a flight back to California.

Of course, Bumblebee was going to take Mikaela and the Witwicky family. Spacious though his cab was, five adults could not sit comfortably inside the bright yellow Autobot, so Leo would have to get transportation from someone else. With little inclination to deal with Mudflap or Skids long enough to get back to Philadelphia, Leo went to ask Sideswipe for a lift back to school. The way he figured, what better way to show up again than in a gorgeous concept Corvette?

That plan, however, was quickly shot down. The silver mech had already departed with Sergeant Epps. Most of the NEST operatives that had been in the desert had been granted leave to go home to their families and Epps was not going to pass that opportunity up. And where Epps went, Sideswipe went; the two of them were pretty good partners and friends, it seemed.

"How 'bout you just go with Jolt?" Captain Lennox suggested, gesturing to the bright blue Volt across the base grounds. "He's taking Simmons back to Brooklyn, so he'll be heading north anyways. Might take you longer to get back to school than Sam, but I'm sure he'll let someone know you're coming back."

Leo glanced in Jolt's direction. He hesitated to be stuck with Simmons again. The older man didn't seem to care much for Leo in the first place, though he had gained some begrudging respect for him since Leo had saved his life, grabbing him and keeping him from being sucked into a Decepticon vortex of sandy death. Seeing no other real option, Leo gave a shrug and headed over.

"Together again, huh?" Simmons gave a condescending grin. "Just can't stay away from me, can you kid?"

"There was no other choice," Leo retorted. Not the best argument or even the greatest comeback, but it was all he could think of to say. He opened the passenger side door and slipped into Jolt's cab, slouching into a comfortable position for the drive.

Simmons got into the driver's seat, keeping his hands loosely on the steering wheel as he sat and buckled up. Though Jolt would be driving, it was a good idea to at least look as though there was a human in control, so the former Sector Seven agent kept his relaxed grip on the steering wheel as the Volt started up his engine and began pulling out of the base, directed by Graham, one of the NEST operatives that had stayed overnight with the rest of the group.

Once they were on the road, Simmons focused on paying attention to the road, as if he were driving. Leo was still a little groggy, so he settled for a nap. It would take a couple hours to reach Philadelphia, so why not spend it sleeping? It wasn't like he was going to get any sleep when he got back to the university; Sharsky and Fassbinder would be all over him, demanding where he's been and that he catch up with the work on RealEffingDeal.

When Simmons woke him later, Jolt had pulled off I-95 into Aberdeen. Leo opened his eyes with a stretch and a yawn before he sat up and looked outside the window. The Autobot had parked in front of a fast-food restaurant. At the sight of the familiar golden arches of the McDonald's franchise, Leo's stomach gave a grumble. It couldn't have been more than three hours since they'd had breakfast, but for a teenager, that was long enough to be considered starving.

"Come on, kid," Simmons told him, getting out of Jolt's cab and stretching his legs. "I'm buying. Unless you got some cash on you."

Leo snorted as he got out and stood. "Sorry. Left all my cash in my dorm. Y'know, the one in Philly that the psycho alien chick trashed."

"Thought so," Simmons muttered. He glanced at the building, a look of disgust on his face. "I don't know how thousands of people can eat the over-processed mystery meat this place serves. The coffee's horrible, too. The only thing I'll give them is that I love their shakes."

Leo wouldn't admit it, but he agreed with Simmons; the only thing worth getting here was the milkshakes. The fries weren't too bad, either. He shrugged, walking past Simmons to the door. He was hungry enough to eat anything; sure, they'd had breakfast at the base, but military rations hardly counted as food to Leo. With that thought in mind, he went into the restaurant and stood in line, hungrily staring up at the menu as he decided what to order.

Eventually, he and Simmons were seated across from each other at a small table, burgers, fries and a milkshake for each of them. Simmons ate in relative silence, occasionally pausing to jot something down on a napkin and muttering to himself, while Leo practically inhaled his burger. Who cared if it was over-processed mystery meat? It tasted like heaven to him after days in the desert with only military rations and power bars that Sam had in his jacket pocket to eat.

"Whatcha writing?" Leo asked, stuffing a couple of ketchup-slathered fries into his mouth.

Simmons didn't even look up at him. "If that were any of your business, kid, I'd tell you."

Leo tilted his head, trying to decipher the older man's chicken-scratch handwriting. He could just make out a note about the fight at the Egyptian village. "You gonna post about what happened?"

Simmons set down his pen and pulled the napkin across the table towards him, dropping it into his lap, away from Leo's eyes. "Look, I told you. It's our job to make sure the truth comes out. That's what RFD and GFR are all about." He folded the napkin up and slipped it into his pocket. "But for the time being, you tell your side, I'll tell mine."

"Says the guy who's been hacking my site and stealing hits."

Simmons rolled his eyes and went back to his own lunch. Silence fell between the two of them again as they finished eating. Leo thought about their websites and wondered if his guys had taken the initiative in his absence; Fassbinder would have, for sure, but Sharsky was a bit of the lazy side. Leo had hired him for his pirating skills more than for his motivation. He wondered if either of them had gotten footage from anything that had happened in the last week.

Simmons stood up suddenly, breaking Leo out of his reverie by announcing he had a phone call to make. Leo turned in his chair as the older man walked past to the payphone that was mounted on the wall a few feet away. Though it was probably none of his business, Leo couldn't help but overhear Simmons talking to someone named Freja.

From the sound of it, Freja was probably the "Kelley" that Simmons had mentioned the day before; the older man was telling her, in quiet tones, that he hoped she'd been keeping up with the media and updating GFR accordingly. He also mentioned that he would be back in Brooklyn in a couple of hours. After another minute or so, Simmons finally hung up the phone and came back to the table to grab his milkshake.

"That girl never answers her phone," he muttered. "She'd better not be using my computers to play Warcraft again."

Leo grinned. A girl who worked on an alien conspiracy website and played Warcraft? Sounded like someone he would get along with. And the name Freja? She could only be a gorgeous woman with white-blonde hair and blue eyes that rivaled even the Autobots in their unearthly hues.

"I think I'd like to meet this girl," he said. "She must be wonderful."

Simmons snorted, lifting his milkshake to his lips and finishing it off. He shook his head and gestured for Leo to get up. It was time to get back on the road. Leo grabbed his tray and dumped the trash into the bin on their way out. Jolt waited in the parking lot, flashing his headlights in impatience at the two humans.

"Oh, hold your horsepower," Simmons told the Autobot. "We're coming, we're coming."

Jolt popped open his doors to let Simmons and Leo slid into their seats. His voice called through the radio. "Buckle up, softies. We're running late. Next stop, Brooklyn."

Leo paused. "What are you talking about? Philadelphia's on the way to Brooklyn."

"I told Seymour Simmons I'd get him to Brooklyn first," Jolt told him, sounding only slightly apologetic as he started his engine.

"It wouldn't take that long to take a detour off 130 to Philly!" Leo protested.

"Sorry, kid," Jolt said. "That's the way I do things. I told him I'd get him back to his place. I'll drop you off on my way to regroup with the other Autobots."

Leo slumped back in his seat. "Sounds like poor planning to me."

"Just shut up and let the bot drive," Simmons told him. He rested his hands on the steering wheel as Jolt maneuvered out of the small parking lot and back onto the road.

* * *

The street outside D. Cappuccio and Simmons was busy, like many Brooklyn streets. Jolt had parallel parked in front of the deli and popped open his driver side door so Simmons could get out. The man stood on the sidewalk as he waited for Leo to climb out of the passenger side to move to the driver's seat. He put a hand on Leo's shoulder before the younger man could slide into back into Jolt's cab.

"Look, kid," he said. "Before you head off back to your college, remember something. You saved my ass back there in the desert." He looked at Leo, making sure the teen was looking back at him. "I will _never_ forget that. I owe you one."

"Uh, sure," Leo mumbled, looking all the world like he just wanted to fall into the seat and head back to Philly.

"It's a big thing, saving someone's life," Simmons told him.

"Yeah, I got it."

The older man gave a nod. "I hate owing kids debts. You need something, look me up."

Leo was about to open his mouth, to say that he didn't need any favors from the other, but a sudden voice rang out from behind him.

"Reggie! Where the _hell_ have you been?"

Leo turned around to see a short girl standing behind him. The girl didn't look to be much older than fifteen. She had brown hair, with dyed lime green bangs that covered her brow and framed her freckled face. She wore torn blue jeans, a black _Battlestar Galactica_ tee and a worn gray hoodie that was easily two sizes too big for her. A pair of slate blue eyes glared at Simmons from behind a pair of thin-rimmed glasses.

"You'd better get in there before your mama comes out and finds you standing around," she warned the older man. "She's _livid_. You didn't leave a note that you were going out, you've been gone a week _and _you haven't bothered to call!"  
Simmons didn't even look fazed. "Looks to me like you're madder than Mama."

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, really?"

A hand reached up and grabbed Simmons by the ear, pulling him down to the side. A short woman with dark curly hair and granny-glasses stood next to the man, anger in her eyes. "Seymour Reginald Simmons!" she spat, as if the name were a curse. "You are in big trouble; leaving the deli to those idiots you call workers! Not even telling your mama where you were going!"

Leo hid his grin behind a hand, trying to stifle his laughter at seeing the former secret agent being cowed by a woman of at least sixty. Granted, said woman was wearing a food-stained white apron and holding a pen like it was a dagger, ready to cut out her son's heart and serve it to her customers.

Simmons hissed in pain as his mother tugged on his ear. "Ow, ow, ow! Mama!"

"Don't you 'mama' me," the woman told him, giving a harsher tug. "You get your keister in there and get to work!"

With that, she released the man's ear and stormed back into the deli, yelling at people to move out of the way so she could get behind the counter. Simmons rubbed his ear and glared at Leo, who was now openly laughing at him. The girl had still had her arms over her chest, but she was now smirking at Simmons.

"Shouldn't you be at work, Freja?" Simmons asked.

Leo stopped laughing and looked at the girl. "_You're_ Freja?"

The girl looked back at him. "What's it to you?" she asked.

"Let me introduce you," Simmons said. He gestured between them. "Freja, Leo Spitz. The guy in charge of RFD." At that, Freja arched a brow, giving Leo a look over. "Spitz, Freja Kelley. The Security Wonderkid of GFR."

Freja visibly cringed at the title 'Wonderkid'. "I told you I hate that," she told him. When Simmons just gave a cocky smirk and headed into the deli, Freja turned back to Leo. "You're the one in charge of RealEffinDeal?"

"Y-yeah," Leo stammered, staring at the girl. "You're…not what I imagined when Simmons said he had an assistant." His idea of a hot blonde with heavenly blue eyes had been shot down by the appearance of a short brunette with an attitude. "I thought you'd be…older."

"I'm older than _you_ are," Freja told him, eyes narrowed slightly at the teen. "I put you at eighteen, maybe nineteen. I'm twenty-one."

Leo's eyes widened. "You look like you're fif--"

An honest-to-God snarl escaped the young woman. "Trust me, I know." She walked past him, to a gated stairwell on the side of the deli. She put her hand on the gate. "By the way," she said. "Your goons at RFD have been bragging about getting a copy of that video stream. I can't wait for you to see their faces when they find out what _I've _got."

She grinned and jumped over the fence, hurrying down the stairs to the sublevel door before Leo could say anything. Leo blinked, confused for a moment before shaking himself out of it. He climbed into Jolt's cab and told him he was ready to go. Jolt obligingly started his engine and pulled away from the curb.

"Alright, then. We'll get you to Philadelphia and then I'm off to join the others."

* * *

The ride back towards Philadelphia seemed a lot longer now that it was just Leo and Jolt. The teen and the Autobot occasionally spoke to each other, but they were both so different that it was hard to keep the conversation going. Jolt seemed like a relatively nice guy, for an alien robot. Leo found himself becoming rather fond of the blue Volt, despite the fact that they _were_ different. Silence kept falling between them and those silent periods were just too awkward for Leo.

"So, what's going on with you and Sideswipe?" he asked, all of a sudden remembering how gentle Jolt had been with the silver swordsmech back in the desert.

Jolt, who'd been switching through stations on his radio, gave an electronic squeak, as if embarrassed. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't you try to tell me you don't know," Leo said, slouching and keeping a loose grip on the steering wheel. "I saw how you looked at him." It had been obvious affection and, though the thought of two robots -- two seemingly _male_ robots -- getting it on was a little disturbing, Leo couldn't help but press the matter.

Jolt was quiet for a moment and Leo wondered if he'd pressed too far. The radio had been switched off, so there wasn't even any background noise to occupy the silence that now filled the Volt's cab. Leo shifted, feeling even more awkward than when the two of them just weren't talking.

"Sideswipe's one of the best fighters out there," Jolt finally began. "He was built to fight, you know. It's hard not to admire him."

"So you like him?" Leo asked.

"Well, yeah. Who wouldn't like a mech like him?"

"Then tell him," Leo suggested. He could hardly believe what he was saying. He was giving advice to a robot. Him! A guy who'd never been on a date in his life!

"It's not that simple," Jolt said, switching lanes as they came up on the exit leading to Philadelphia. "You humans have it easy; you can go up to whoever you want and ask them out on a date. We Cybertronians don't do it like that."

"So do it the way Cybertronians do," Leo shrugged.

A sigh came through Jolt's radio. "You just don't get it. It's not simple."

"Maybe I don't, but at least I get that you like him. Maybe he feels the same way?"

Silence from the Autobot. After a minute or so, Jolt switched the radio back on, settling quickly on an alternative rock station. Leo figured that meant the conversation was over. He settled back in his seat and spaced out for a while until Jolt pulled up in front of the university dormitories. It was almost six, so most of the classes were out and the students were hanging out in the courtyard with picnic dinners or in their dorms, working furiously on homework.

Leo opened the door and got of out Jolt's cab. He was about to ask the Volt how he intended to get off campus without people freaking out about a car with no driver, when a figure appeared in the seat that Leo had just vacated. Leo jumped and gave a yelp, surprised that someone had managed to get into the Autobot's cab so quickly.

"Oh, relax, will you?" Jolt asked through the radio. "It's just a hologram."

As if to prove Jolt's point, the person in the driver's seat flickered in and out of sight. Leo put a hand over his chest, where his heart was beating wildly. The hologram was so convincing; it looked like the typical American twenty-something, complete with bleach-blond hair, tan and blue eyes that shone with an unearthly light.

"Jesus, don't do that to me," Leo told Jolt. "Give me a freakin' heart attack."

"You're fine," Jolt said, a laugh in his voice. "You should head inside. See you around!"

With that, Jolt began pulling away from the curb and out of the parking lot. Leo watched the Autobot go, wondering if that was all there would be to it. He was back at the university, where he belonged, surrounded by normal college students on a normal Thursday evening. The sun, the very thing that the Fallen had meant to destroy, was beginning its descent into the western horizon.

Everything was normal. Except for him, the Autobot that was driving away and the boy named Sam Witwicky.

_**

* * *

**_

**Author's Note:** _This chapter was a little longer than I meant it to be and I didn't get in everything that I wanted, so there will probably be another chapter relatively soon. It all depends on how bored I get in class. Reviews are like crack to me, so be sure to let me know what you thought and I'll see you next chapter! _


	3. Chapter III

_**Author's Note:**__ Okay, so class has been a little rough on me and I've only just gotten back to this. Anyone who's followed my writing before will know that my updates are pretty sporadic. I apologize. Anyways, we're pretty much picking up where we left off last chapter. Enjoy!  
**Warnings:**__ Plot and development ahead.  
**Disclaimer: **__There's a world out there where I do own these guys, but I'm too afraid of my basement to go there. _

**-Chapter Three-**

"Where have you _been_, bro?" Fassbinder asked as Leo stepped into the dorm room.

Over the few days that Leo and Sam had been gone, the room had been cleaned up; there was little evidence that anything had been out of the ordinary. The only indication that something odd might have happened was the television was smashed, Sam's Cybertronian symbols were still painted everywhere and Leo's posters had been torn down. The broken door had been replaced with a heavy curtain to keep things out of sight, but otherwise the room was looking alright.

"I've been out of town," Leo replied.

"Dude, I saw that broadcast when they were looking for Sam!" Sharsky called from his place at his computer. "What happened to you guys?"

Leo flopped down on his bed, not answering. He was still tired, despite the sleep he'd caught on the flight, at the base and on the ride to Brooklyn. Now that he was back at the dorm, he wanted to sleep for the next three days.

"You were in the middle of it, weren't you?" Fassbinder demanded. "We've got footage of Alice's rampage, man! You gotta tell us what happened after you escaped!"

"The government's doing everything they can to cover up the aliens," Sharsky added. "But we know the truth and that's what people want! We've already posted a copy of the alien message on Real Effin' Deal and our hits have gone through the roof!"

Leo sat up, remembering what Freja had said earlier. "Have you checked out GFR?"

Sharsky and Fassbinder exchanged glances before they both turned to Sharsky's computer to check their rival site. Fingers dancing across the keyboard, Sharsky pulled up the other site and, with a bit of navigation, found the latest update.

"Video stream," he called to Leo. As Leo came into the room to take a look, Sharsky continued. "It's shot from Cairo."

On the monitor, Leo watched again as the Decepticon behemoth tore the pyramid to pieces. The video wasn't the best quality, obviously shot by an amateur, but just seeing it was enough to make Leo remember what he'd seen in vivid detail. Simmons had been climbing that pyramid when the Decepticon had started shredding it. That crazy old man had thrown himself into what had obviously been a stupid stunt, leaving Leo freaking out about whether he'd see the older man alive again.

"That's enough," Leo told Sharsky, voice dull.

"Shit," Fassbinder groaned leaning back against the wall. "How are we supposed to top that?"

Sharsky turned in his chair to his partner, raising a hand to snap his fingers. "We could put up the footage from the library!" He paused to look at Leo. "You were there, so you could write up what happened!"

Leo stared at Sharsky for a moment before shaking his head. "No."

The other two gaped at him. "Why not?"

Leo was silent for a moment as he thought. Over the last several days, he'd been carried off by evil alien robots, shot at, hunted, tasered and thrown across the world through a space bridge. His life, so boring and average until the moment Sam Witwicky stepped into his dorm room, had been thrown suddenly into danger and extraordinary. He'd survived each encounter with the Decepticons. He knew the secret of the Cybertronians living on Earth. He knew the truth that he, Sharsky and Fassbinder had been working for the last two years to expose.

Knowing the truth and the metallic beings that had been kept such a secret by the government, Leo found himself at an impasse. Simmons, his biggest rival in the cyber world of alien conspiracy, had told him that it was their job to expose the truth. However, with everything that had happened to him, Leo couldn't bring himself to expose the Autobots any further. He'd been right alongside three of them (four, if you counted the little spaz, Wheelie), as they traveled to New York and D.C., then across the desert sands of Egypt. Bumblebee, Mudflap and Skids had all put up with him, the twins a little crass and obnoxious and Bumblebee mostly silent, but strong in his duty of protecting Sam, and Mikaela and Leo, by affiliation.

Leo couldn't release his experiences with the Autobots to cyberspace. "Until further notice," he began, "the Real Effin' Deal is on hiatus."

"What?!" Fassbinder exclaimed, a look of shock and dismay over his face. "You can't do that!"

Sharsky, just as upset as his partner, stood up from his computer. "Leo, RFD can't go on hiatus!" he argued. "There are too many people hungry for the truth! We can't let them down!"

Leo stood his ground. "I suggest both of you find some real work to do until I decide it's time to bring RFD back."

"No!" Sharsky told him, angry that Leo would just brush off two years worth of work. "You're _not_ giving this up! I'm not going to back down; the truth _has_ to come out!"

Fassbinder stood by his friend and colleague. "Sharsky's right, man! We've worked too long and too hard to just quit!"

"Then you're both fired," Leo informed them. "RFD is done with until I say otherwise."

Sharsky kicked his chair against the wall behind him in anger and stormed out of the dorm without another word. Fassbinder picked up both his and Sharsky's backpacks and shoved his way past Leo. As he approached the door, he turned to Leo, eyebrows furrowed in his own anger.

"You're sucking the sack, Leo," he said. "Just like all those other idiots out there. We don't need you; Sharsky and me, we'll start our own site and show up both you and RoboWarrior. Better watch your back, man."

That said, the brunet turned his back on Leo and left, pushing his way past Sam, who'd just arrived back to the dorm. Sam came in, throwing his jacket onto his bed. He looked into the other room, where Leo and his minions had worked so diligently on their website before Sam and Leo had gone on the run. He caught the attention of his roommate.

"Hey," he said. "Just dropped Mikaela and my parents off at the airport. What's up?"

"Oh," Leo shrugged. "The usual. Just fired my only two employees."

Sam frowned. "You fired Sharsky and Fassbinder?" He paused, arching a brow as he thought briefly. "That explains why Sharsky told me you'd, in his words, 'gone and fucked him over.'"

The other teen stayed silent, going over to each of the computers in the room and shutting them down. Sam came over and stood in the doorway, watching his roommate. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, an awkward silence filling the room.

"So, how come you fired them?" Sam asked.

"Don't need them," Leo replied. He shut off the last computer and went about picking up the chair that Sharsky had kicked aside. "The Real Effin' Deal is on indefinite hiatus."

That didn't sound like the Leo he'd come to know, Sam thought. "Wait, not that it's any of my business, but I thought you said you wanted to be involved."

Leo shrugged again. "I do. Just…not like this." He gestured to the computers. "RFD? It's an amateur blog with Game Boy level security, just like Simmons said. The guys and I threw it together one weekend after meeting up at a convention." He frowned at the computers, as if he was disgusted. "No, this isn't how I want to be involved."

Sam blinked in confusion. When he'd first met Leo, the other teen was an egomaniacal geek with delusions of grandeur, an in-your-face and annoying kid. The teen standing across the room from Sam now was different, changed inexplicitly by the events since they'd first been chased out of their dorm by the Pretender, Alice.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Sam posed the usual post-lifestyle-change question.

Leo shrugged. "First off, I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow, I'm going back to class as usual, which I'm betting you're doing, too."

Sam nodded. "Already talked to the Dean. The N.E.S.T commander's already got us a cover story, something about kidnappings and terrorists. We're both set to go back to class in the morning."

Leo crossed the room to the door, herding Sam out and closing the door behind him. "I guess you'll go back to your normal life. As normal as your life gets. Me, I'll figure something out."

"You'll be sticking around, though, right?"

"Yeah," Leo replied. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jeans, throwing them into a corner on his side of the room. He flopped down onto his bed without another word.

Sam figured he might as well do the same. His first class was early, so he'd better get some sleep. He flicked off the lights and, without bothering to do more than slip off his own shoes, crawled into bed.

* * *

"What have I told you about using my computers for your online games?"

Freja, sitting cross-legged in an armed, green swivel chair, waved Simmons off. "Not now, Reggie, I've got Klingon war birds ready to take my ship out of commission."

Simmons grumbled as he sorted through the files he'd left scattered over the table when he and the kids left for D.C. nearly a week ago. He had told Freja numerous times that his computers, equipment salvaged from Sector Seven, were not to be used for anything but their work. If the girl wanted to play games, she could do that in her measly little apartment. He'd hired her to work on GFR.

"Ms. Kelley, I don't pay you to pretend you're a Starfleet commander," he told her firmly.

"You don't pay me period," Freja replied.

"You get plenty working at that mockery of a deli," Simmons informed her, a tone of disgust in his voice. Subway, he mentally sneered. Those morons wouldn't know a sandwich artist if they waved a gourmet pastrami on rye with mustard -- mustard, not _mayo_, like the idiot businessman that insisted on that monstrosity of a combination.

Freja snorted. "I left a job back home in Oregon that paid me thrice what those penny-pinchers are paying me. You promised me a salary, buster."

"You'll get it when I get Sector Seven back up and running."

Freja rolled her eyes. "No one's gonna let you bring that back, Reg."

"You'll see, Kelley," Simmons said. "They'll be begging me to bring Sector Seven back, especially after the incident in Egypt."

The short brunette shook her head, but otherwise said nothing to argue with her boss. She turned back to her game; there was generally nothing else to do on any given day. Over the last few days, she'd been updating GFR almost constantly, with all the videos and testimonials from across the world since the Decepticons made the announcement of their presence on Earth. She felt she deserved a couple hours in a fantasy world.

Simmons stood and walked over, reaching over his assistant and exiting her out of her game. Freja gave a shout of protest, but one look from the man quieted her down and had her going back to her job. Simmons left her to her work and returned to his files. He'd been sorting everything since the deli closed up for the night. It was a task he'd been meaning to get to for a lot time and after returning to New York, had decided it was high time he actually got to it.

A few minutes into his sorting, Freja called for his attention.

"Reggie, check this out," the brunette called.

Standing up and coming over, Simmons looked at the large monitor that Freja sat in front of. "Real Effin' Deal?"

"Yeah," Freja said. She had a frown over her face as she pointed to a notice posted in the blog. "'Real Effin' Deal is, until further notice, shut down.'"

Simmons couldn't believe it. After the talk he'd had with Spitz back in Aberdeen, about how it was their job to reveal the truth, the kid was giving up? "That stupid little…"

Freja crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair and blowing her lime green bangs out of her face. "He's backing down. On one hand, it's great for us; more hits on GFR if RFD is gone. On the other hand, I kind of liked having the competition. It made this more fun and worth not getting paid."

"We'll talk about your salary, or lack thereof, later, Freja," Simmons told her. He looked over the screen, reading the announcement again. "Why would he give up now?"

Freja shrugged. "You know him better than I do, Reg. You tell me."

"I don't know," Simmons responded. He stepped away. "Find out, Shortstuff."

The brunette cringed at the nickname. "Stop that, Reggie."

"Stop playing online games when you're supposed to be working. Now find out why Spitz gave up."

"And how do you propose I do that?" Freja asked. "He doesn't give a reason on the blog."

Simmons shrugged. "Get his email address, find him on instant messenger. I don't care. Just find out."

Freja waited. "Why do you care so much that he's given up?"

Simmons was silent for a long minute, seemingly ignoring Freja as he went back to his files, going over all the information he held in his hands. After a while, he spoke up again. "A kid like him? They don't just give up."

"There's something else."

"Get to work, Shorty," Simmons told her. "It's only ten; you're on shift until eleven."

Freja rolled her eyes, but went back to work. She searched RealEffinDeal for any contact information. After a few minutes, she found an email address and wrote up a note. Though she didn't really understand why knowing was such a big deal, she found herself wanting to know why Leo had given up as well. She'd been honest when she'd said she liked having competition. Losing RFD was kind of a disappointment.

After an hour and a half with no response from Leo, Freja logged off her own email and stretched. "I'm going home," she announced. "Maybe we'll get an answer tomorrow."

Simmons didn't even look up from his desk, where he'd been reviewing his notes from his travels to Egypt. He'd logged everything into a journal, though nothing he experienced was anything he was likely to forget any time soon. He gave a grunt of acknowledgment when Freja mentioned she was leaving.

"Be careful on your way," he told her. It was something he'd gotten used to telling her ever since the first day she'd come to New York from Oregon.

"Uh-huh," Freja replied. She picked up her jacket, slipping it over her shoulders and zipping it. After grabbing her bookbag, she heading for the door to the stairwell she took to the basement and to the street. "I'll be in late tomorrow. Joe's got me on shift until five."

"Don't let the cheese get you."

Freja made a gagging sound. She was lactose-intolerant and she and Simmons had a long-running joke about Subway's cheese gaining life of its own in order to take her out. Without another word, she opened the door and headed up the stairs to the streets.

Once Freja was gone, Simmons glanced over to the computer she'd abandoned. She'd left RFD up on the monitor. Simmons looked at the blog where the announcement of RFD's indefinite hiatus was typed in large font. Surely, there were hundreds of comments on the blog, protesting the shut down, but Simmons didn't care about those. He just wanted to know why.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Slightly shorter chapter than last time. But it's nearing midnight as I'm typing this and I'm tired. This is also a good stopping place. Review and let me know how you like this chapter! I might just be coerced into writing the next chapter faster._


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